THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, May 13, 1995 TAG: 9505130345
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
DATELINE: TOANO LENGTH: Short : 29 lines
State police and rescuers Friday found the body of a pilot who died after his helicopter crashed into the Chickahominy River.
David Hawley's Robinson R-22 two-seat helicopter crashed Monday about 400 yards short of a private helipad in the Cypress Point subdivision in James City County.
State Trooper T.L. Embry said Hawley's body was found about 6:15 a.m. in about 10 feet of water between where the helicopter crashed and the shore.
Embry said Hawley swam some distance from the downed aircraft before he either drowned or died of injuries.
Although the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash, Embry said initial indications are that the helicopter flew too close to the river's surface and struck the water.
Hawley's wife Carol was a passenger in the helicopter, but she was rescued by boat after the crash. Embry said she told investigators her husband escaped from the helicopter before it sank.
KEYWORDS: ACCIDENT PLANE FATALITY by CNB